The all-inclusive beach resorts on this, the eastern coast of the island are situated well away from the main centres of population and as such are extremely self contained. Many visitors to these resorts never venture outside the grounds and indeed there is little reason to do so as the surrounding countryside is fairly sparse, with the only signs of life being the numerous building sites where hotels and villas will one day stand. Workers at the resorts either live on site or in one of the tiny villages or towns nearby. Each hotel has it’s own area of beach crammed with sun loungers and dotted with watersports hire shops and small bars. The resort complexes have been blamed for environmental damage and coastal erosion. Indeed, some sections of beach where trees have been felled have had to be augmented with concrete to prevent the erosion that would have been previously held at bay by root systems. Despite this, the beaches and waters are very clean, though with construction up and down the coastline continuing apace it’s hard to say if this will last.

The all-inclusive beach resorts on this, the eastern coast of the island are situated well away from the main centres of population and as such are extremely self contained. Many visitors to these resorts never venture outside the grounds and indeed there is little reason to do so as the surrounding countryside is fairly sparse, with the only signs of life being the numerous building sites where hotels and villas will one day stand. Workers at the resorts either live on site or in one of the tiny villages or towns nearby. Each hotel has it’s own area of beach crammed with sun loungers and dotted with watersports hire shops and small bars. The resort complexes have been blamed for environmental damage and coastal erosion. Indeed, some sections of beach where trees have been felled have had to be augmented with concrete to prevent the erosion that would have been previously held at bay by root systems. Despite this, the beaches and waters are very clean, though with construction up and down the coastline continuing apace it’s hard to say if this will last.

A wheelchair bound man makes his way past beautiful Brownstones boarded up and left derelict. Many of these old buildings are being bought up and allowed to rot in order to raze them to make way for new buildings. Residents of the area are of course upset by the lack of respect for their neighbourhood.

The Lighthouse was completed in 1992 for the 500th Anniversary of Columbus’ voyage across the Atlantic. It was designed by British Architect J.C. Gleaves who won an international competition in 1929, over 75 years after the monument was first proposed. The lighthouse contains Columbus’ mausoleum, a navel museum and galleries dedicated to paintings of the Virgin Mary. Occasionally, laser beams projected from the lighthouse form a cross in the night sky. However, when this happens I was told there are power outages across the country. This fact, combined with he cost of building the lighthouse ($100-$150 million) and the demolition of one of Santo Domingo’s poorest areas to make way for the monument has led to much resentment among many Dominicans.

In the foreground is a Statue of Nicolas de Ovando, an experienced administrator appointed to the young colony in 1501 by King Fernando of Spain to restore order after several years of in fighting between Christopher Columbus, Spanish Colonists and the opportunistic bureaucrat Francisco Bobadilla. Ovando moved the settlement to the east bank of the Rio Haina and began the stone construction of Santo Domingo.

In the background can be seen The Alcazar de Colon, home of the Columbus family until 1577. It was built by Diego Columbus from 1511 to 1515. Diego - Christopher Columbus’ son - was appointed Ovando’s successor in 1509 after petitioning the Spanish King for his family’s rights to the New World. It is now a museum to 16th Century colonial life and generally regarded as the finest local example of the Isabelline Architectural Style.

Between them stands a Christmas tree, sponsored by the American company, Coca-Cola.

The cathedral was built between 1521 and 1540 with Vatican money and intended to be a centre of the Catholic religion in the West Indies. In the process of attempting to convert the indigenous Taino population and the imported African slaves to Catholicism the Spanish Cofradias found that the Africans had begun to associate their own deities with various saints and were practising their beliefs and rituals under the guise of the European religion. This was the beginning of the syncretic religion of Voodoo.

In front of the cathedral is the Parque Colon, an pleasant open space with a statue of Columbus in the centre, staring out to the horizon with an indigenous Taino maiden clinging to the pedestal below and reaching up in adoration. On the afternoon I was in the square, I sat with my wife and son and watched as graduates of the traffic division of the Santo Domingo police force posed to have their picture taken for official class portraits.

Built from 1714 to 1745 as a Jesuit convent. It has since been used as a tobacco warehouse, a seminary and a theatre. Today it is national monument and mausoleum for prominent Dominicans. Inside is an eternal flame, set into the Italian marble floor and complete with an honour guard from the Dominican military.

The Guaguas are an informal transport system that networks the entire Dominican Republic, from the major cities to the most remote areas. This man demonstrated the way this system works; waiting by the side of the road until a guagua approached, then simply hailing it and jumping in. The open side door was the only indication that this vehicle was in fact a guagua and it barely stopped as it passed by. I never travelled in one myself but by all accounts they are the simplest and best way to get about. The type of guagua can range from the newest vans and minibuses to rusting and rundown cars barely roadworthy. It is however an incredibly cheap way to travel about the country.

This morning Police shepherded myself and other passengers out of Hoboken PATH Station due to a fire in an adjacent semi derelict building. It's the second time this year I have seen a fire in this building. Last time I had my 4X5 camera on me. Click here to see that picture.

Both fires were caused by homeless people who break in order to shelter from the elements. Seeing as it was below zero today I don't blame them for trying to keep warm.

About Me

I'm From Bradford, West Yorkshire and am currently based in Singapore, SE Asia.
I've previously lived in South East London and New Jersey, U.S.
I love my wife and our two children.
I miss my friends in England.
I am a photographer.
I also have a website at
www.tomwhitephotography.com